WASHING AND GROOMING. 1 23 



an hour to quicken circulation and thereby prevent a 

 chill. 



But let no one try to dry a Yorkshire by rubbing with 

 towels or like means, for the harm would be well-nigh 

 irreparable. And in this instance the drying must all be 

 done with brushes ; each one in turn being put before the 

 fire as soon as it has become dampened, and used always 

 from the centre — " the parting " — downward on either 

 side. 



When it has been necessary to wash a dog frequently 

 and in consequence his hair has become unnaturally dry, 

 a mixture of glycerine and water, one part to four, or 

 cocoa-butter will be advisable. 



Or if the skin is very dry and inelastic and the hair 

 staring and brittle, it may be well to drench the coat with 

 cod-liver oil and allow it to remain on for several days, 

 the dog, meanwhile, being swathed with cotton cloth or 

 covered by a thin blanket, and kept in a warm place 

 if the season is winter. 



But unless fats or oils are urgently demanded, as in a 

 case like this, they should be used sparingly and merely 

 on coats which are very long and might otherwise be 

 matted and snarled. 



Discarding lard and animal fats, for the reason that they 

 quickly become rancid, putrefy, and are liable to cause 

 irritation of the skin, the vegetable oils should be chosen 

 as a rule, although sometimes, as in "dressing" the coat 

 of a German poodle, it will be allowable to use a little min- 

 eral oil in a mixture with one or more vegetable oils. 

 And in these instances kerosene, olive and castor oils, in 

 equal parts, make a serviceable mixture. 



But with dogs generally olive or cotton-seed oil of pur- 

 est and best quality only should be used, and barely suf- 

 ficient to lubricate the outer hairs — a little of the oil 



